Source: Airlines UK Commenting on the announcement of a Government consultation on air passenger rights, Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said:    “Airlines work hard to ensure that the passenger experience is as smooth and enjoyable as possible. Put simply, without their customers carriers would not exist. This is borne out by the most recent CAA tracker – conducted during the pandemic – which showed net satisfaction with aviation at 82%. We look forward to responding to the consultation, whilst continuing to deliver for our passengers as we look ahead to the spring and summer season and the sector’s eventual recovery from Covid.”

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association welcomed the creation by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of a global directory of public keys required for authentication of health credentials. The directory—called the Health Master List (HML)—will make a significant contribution to the global recognition and verification (interoperability) of government issued health credentials. A public key enables third parties to verify that a QR code displayed on a health credential is authentic and valid. The HLM is a compilation of public key certificates signed by ICAO and regularly updated as more health proofs are issued and new public keys are required. Its implementation will ease the global recognition of health credentials outside of the jurisdiction in which they were issued. "For [...]

Source: ACI-LAC Airports Council International – Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC) warmly welcome Leadin Aviation Consulting, a consulting firm specializing in airport planning, as a new World Business Partner – WBP. Leadin Aviation Consulting has been developing its services in airports in five continents since 2018, consolidating its reputation in the Aviation and Airport planning sector. With headquarters in Madrid, Spain.  “ACI-LAC continues to work to attract new business partners that add value to the growth of the airport industry. We are confident that Leadin Aviation Consulting, with its vast experience in airport planning, will be a key member for the continued development of the sector in Latin America & the Caribbean,” commented Dr. Rafael Echevarne, General Director of ACI-LAC. [...]

Source: IATA ACI EUROPE (Airports Council International) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged European Governments to lift all travel restrictions for fully vaccinated/recovered individuals holding a valid Covid Certificate – as advised by the new regime for travel within the EU which comes into force today. This new regime, set out by an EU Council Recommendation adopted on 25 January, is based on the health status of travellers, rather than the epidemiological situation of their country or area of origin. Independent research (see link in notes below) conducted in Finland and Italy provides insight into developing a Europe-wide policy for removing restrictions. The research made public today confirms the validity of the traveler-centric approach, highlighting the inefficiency of [...]

Source: US Department of Transportation Overall air cargo remains up 12.7% over pre-pandemic November 2019 U.S. Airlines Carried 0.2% less cargo by weight in November 2021 (preliminary) than in November 2020. The decrease comprises a gain of 0.3% in domestic cargo and a loss of 1.8% in international cargo, according to data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by 14 of the leading U.S. cargo airlines. The 14 airlines carry 95% of total cargo by weight transported on U.S. airlines. Cargo data consists of freight and mail carried within the U.S. and between the U.S. and foreign points. November 2021 (preliminary) air cargo numbers for 14 U.S. cargo carriers: Total: 1,650 thousand tons, down 0.2% from Nov. 2020, [...]

Source: ICAO ICAO has published its first Health Master List, a new data resource for States and aviation stakeholders to aid in the more efficient and secure authentication of traveler health certificates, including vaccination and test result certificates. In support of WHO recommendations, ICAO has embarked on an innovative Public Key Infrastructure collaboration with the Luxembourg State Agency, INCERT. The aim of the partnership is to address the urgent need for improved trust and processing of health documentation internationally during the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond. “The presentation of documentation related to COVID-19 health interventions has become commonplace since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many States originally issued health proofs appropriate for domestic and/or regional use cases,” commented ICAO [...]

Source: AFA AFA is proud to celebrate Black History Month in February, an annual national observance that highlights the power and impact of the Black community. On February 11, 1958, Ruth Carol Taylor worked her first flight at Mohawk Airlines. She was the first African-American Flight Attendant in the United States. Only six months after breaking one historic barrier, Taylor's career ended due to another discriminatory policy: the airline's marriage ban, a common practice among airlines of the day of dismissing Flight Attendants who became either married or pregnant. Watch AFA's tribute to Ruth Carol Taylor. While we celebrate the contributions of trailblazers like Taylor, this month is not just a time to highlight history—we must take on racism, poverty and inequality today [...]

Source: US DOT Popular RAISE Discretionary Grant Program funds increased by approximately $500 million over last year under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help meet overwhelming demand The U.S. Department of Transportation has published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $1.5 billion in grant funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program. The popular program helps communities around the country carry out projects with significant local or regional impact. RAISE discretionary grants, which were originally created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as TIGER grants, can be used for a wide variety of projects. Recent examples of funded projects include dedicated bus lanes in Baltimore, highway and bridge repair in New Mexico, [...]

Source: US DOT Through continued technical collaboration, the FAA, Verizon, and AT&T have agreed on steps that will enable more aircraft to safely use key airports while also enabling more towers to deploy 5G service. The FAA appreciates the strong communication and collaborative approach with wireless companies, which have provided more precise data about the exact location of wireless transmitters and supported more thorough analysis of how 5G C-band signals interact with sensitive aircraft instruments. The FAA used this data to determine that it is possible to safely and more precisely map the size and shape of the areas around airports where 5G signals are mitigated, shrinking the areas where wireless operators are deferring their antenna activations. This will enable [...]

ACI-LAC invites its members to the third ACI-LAC & InteVISTAS Consulting Inc. webinar on "Airports as Destinations: Rethinking Your Customer Experience Strategy". Customer experience (CX) can be defined as the cumulative result of past experience, expectations, and interactions with multiple touchpoints that are scripted to produce a specific result or effect on consumers. With additional health screening requirements and the emergence of touchless and seamless travel technologies, updating a CX strategy can be a daunting exercise for airport managers. This webinar will outline the value of implementing a CX strategy from a commercial, operational, and traveler experience perspectives in the current ever-evolving regulatory environment. We will also demonstrate the potential of a CX strategy to unleash non-aeronautical revenues and the branding/repositioning of [...]